


ruff day

by breathingvacancy



Category: Wolf's Rain
Genre: Animals, Caretaking, Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Vomiting, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9565478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breathingvacancy/pseuds/breathingvacancy
Summary: Kiba leads the way. Their pack is the furthest thing from a conventional pack and nothing is really the way it's supposed to be. There is no alpha. Still, paradise was Kiba's idea. Kiba leads the way, that's just how it is. He leads and his stamina is almost unreal.So it's rather telling when he slows.





	

**Author's Note:**

> so i introduced my dad to Wolf's Rain. and he loved it but it brought back all of my feelings and so much nostalgia. all that accumulated in this little fic right here. also, please forgive my stupid pun.

Kiba leads the way. Their pack is the furthest thing from a conventional pack and nothing is really the way it's supposed to be. There is no alpha. Still, paradise was Kiba's idea. Kiba leads the way, that's just how it is. He leads and his stamina is almost unreal. No one doubts he was telling the truth when he told them he ran on moonlight alone for a month, because he never dawdles or delays his mission for anything. 

So it's rather telling when he slows. They're running across hilly terrain, the grass coarse and short. There are a few sparse trees here and there, but like most of the trees they encounter, they're mainly dead or miniscule. There's a strong, biting wind whipping past that buffets their fur, but these are conditions they've all dealt with before. Even Toboe can handle it. 

However, Kiba gradually loses steam. After loping up a particularly steep hill, he's behind the runt and barely managing to keep up at that. The other wolves regard him apprehensively and pause to accommodate. 

"Are you alright?" Toboe asks, ears flicking uneasily. 

"Yeah," Kiba answers, clipped. Heavy pants wheeze out of him as he catches up. 

"You scent says otherwise." Hige pokes his nose toward the white wolf and sniffs a good whiff. "You're smelling pretty funky today." 

Kiba glowers and briskly trots around him, refusing to stop. "I'm fine." 

Tsume gives a grunt and resumes following as Kiba takes the lead again. This doesn't last long. They run over and up just one more hill and his speed hampers with each step, putting him to the back again. His legs visibly quiver, his breathing rough enough that the others all pick up on it in spite of the rushing wind. Kiba tumbles halfway down the next hill and lands in a heap at the bottom. 

"Fine, huh?" Tsume snorts. 

The other three group back as Kiba hauls himself to unsteady paws. 

"Don't force yourself up yet," Toboe frets, tail low with anxiety. He tries to nudge the white wolf back down, but Kiba brushes him off and sways a few lengths to the side. 

"Listen to the kid," Hige urges him. "You're really not moving so hot right now." 

Kiba abruptly vomits a thick stream of yellowish, foamy fluid. It puddles at his forepaws and he takes a few faltering steps back before he drops entirely. He shivers where he lies, tongue flopped out of his mouth and eyes glazed. 

"I just need a minute," he insists weakly. 

"Don't be stupid," Tsume tells him gruffly. "You're sick. You can't keep going like this." 

Kiba switches his ears in annoyance. He raises his head but even that looks like it takes a toll. Hige inquisitively snuffles at the arctic wolf's flank and briefly pushes their noses together. 

"You've got a fever," he confirms. "You should've told us you weren't feeling well. We could've stopped somewhere less exposed." 

"Not stopping." Kiba heaves a labored sigh and clumsily gets up again. It's obvious he's straining. He only makes it a few steps before he tips precariously. Toboe trots over to provide a supportive shoulder, letting out a sympathetic whine as Kiba slumps into him. 

"Please lie down. We've still got a long way to go and you need your strength." 

Kiba seems ready to protest but after a few moments of wobbling against the younger wolf, he sags in resignation. Hige hovers at his other side and together they shepherd him far enough away from his puke that he can relax without having the odor right in his face. Tsume kicks up some dirt and grass to cover it for good measure. Kiba lies down more comfortably this time, forepaws folding over each other and tail tucking around his hinds. 

"Keep him warm, Porky." Tsume swishes his tail. "The runt and I will go look for food and water." 

Hige perks his ears and agreeably curls around Kiba's shivering form. Tsume heads off and gives a prompting grunt when Toboe lingers. The red wolf shakes himself with one last worried glance to Kiba and then hurries to join him. 

"How bad are you feeling?" Hige asks. "Like, really?" 

"Bad enough." Kiba's eyes scrunch shut. 

Hige sighs and licks at Kiba's ears, trying to comfort him. He can't help noting that they feel much warmer than they ought to. Kiba presses closer against him so it must be an appreciated gesture. Hige continues, licking them over several times and then licking at the rest of his face. He nuzzles at his neck and head and this seems to further soothe Kiba. Some tension eases from the white wolf's tired muscles. He shifts, settling with his head nestled to Hige's chest. Hige drapes his neck over him protectively. 

"How long have you been sick?" 

"Almost two days...It's been worse today." 

"I thought you smelled off." Hige twitches an ear. "At least that explains why you've been so broody." 

"I haven't been brooding." 

"Oh, yes you have," teases Hige. "Even more than Tsume." 

"Now that's just impossible." Kiba huffs through his nose. 

"Alright, maybe not that bad." Hige gives his shoulder a lick. 

"I didn't want to stop because I'm not sure I can get up again," Kiba offers without prompting. It really says a lot. 

"That bad, huh?" Hige winces. "Don't worry. We'll carry you if you're not feeling up to walking by tomorrow." 

"I don't want to spend the night here," Kiba declares morosely. 

"Don't worry about that either," Hige tells him even though he _is_ worried about it. Kiba's still shaking and it's making him nervous. "Just take a nap or something. I'll wake you up when there's food." 

Surprisingly, Kiba does just that. He quiets down and Hige listens to his breath as he drifts off. There's a catch there, a thick, scratchy catch on his inhales and exhales that signal illness. Hige softly licks him between the shoulders for awhile, an idle action as much for himself as it is for Kiba. He feels almost useless since there's not shit he can do to cure whatever's ailing him. 

A short while after Hige catches the scent of blood on the breeze. Tsume bounds into view with Toboe on his heels, the wind lifting the thin, ribbonlike thing dangling from his jaws. He lifts his head as they slow to a stop and Tsume deposits the kill on the ground. Hige squints at it and switches his ears in disapproval. 

"What? That's it?" It's a pitiful, scrawny snake that's probably more bones and scales than it is meat. 

Tsume glares and Toboe drops the dripping wet wad of moss in his jaws. 

"It's not for you," the younger wolf tells him tartly. 

"I know that!" Hige bristles. "But still. That's barely even food..." 

"There's not exactly a lot to hunt these days," Tsume pointedly reminds him. "Especially not out here." 

Kiba groans as he wakes, lifts his weary head and blinks glossy eyes. "You're loud." 

"You're welcome." Tsume swats the measly snake with his paw. 

"You guys can share it." Kiba lowers his head to tuck back into Hige, but the Mexican wolf sits up. 

"You've got to eat. I know it's not much, but you threw up everything else you had in you." 

Kiba fixes a sullen look back on the snake. Toboe nudges it a little closer to him, and then the moss. 

"We brought you some water too," the red wolf coaxes. "There's a little stream not too far away. When you're feeling better we can all go." 

It's the pup's pleading gaze that does Kiba in. He sits up and tentatively chews on the snake. It's definitely not the most appetizing or substantial thing but the rest thankfully calmed his stomach. With any luck, it'll stay down. 


End file.
